Genetic analyses and dispersal patterns unveil the Amazonian origin of guava domestication.

Alejandro Casas, Edna Arévalo-Marín, Hernán Alvarado-Sizzo, Eduardo Ruiz-Sanchez, Gabriela Castellanos-Morales, Lev Jardón-Barbolla, Gustavo Fermin, José S Padilla-Ramírez, Charles R Clement

Journal: Scientific reports 2024;14(1):15755

PMID: 38977809

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Abstract

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a semi-domesticated fruit tree of moderate importance in the Neotropics, utilized for millennia due to its nutritional and medicinal benefits, but its origin of domestication remains unknown. In this study, we examine genetic diversity and population structure in 215 plants from 11 countries in Mesoamerica, the Andes, and Amazonia using 25 nuclear microsatellite loci to propose an origin of domestication. Genetic analyses reveal one gene pool in Mesoamerica (Mexico) and four in South America (Brazilian Amazonia, Peruvian Amazonia and Andes, and Colombia), indicating greater differentiation among localities, possibly due to isolation between guava populations, particularly in the Amazonian and Andean regions. Moreover, Mesoamerican populations show high genetic diversity, with moderate genetic structure due to gene flow from northern South American populations. Dispersal scenarios suggest that Brazilian Amazonia is the probable origin of guava domestication, spreading from there to the Peruvian Andes, northern South America, Central America, and Mexico. These findings present the first evidence of guava domestication in the Americas, contributing to a deeper understanding of its evolutionary history.

Address: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad-IIES, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. [email protected].; Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, CDMX, Mexico. [email protected].; Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad-IIES, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. [email protected].; Laboratorio de Biogeografía y Sistemática, Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico.; Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.; Departamento de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Villahermosa (ECOSUR-Villahermosa), Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.; Centro de Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias en Ciencias y Humanidades, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, CDMX, Mexico.; Instituto Jardín Botánico de Mérida, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, Mérida, Venezuela.; Campo Experimental Pabellón, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Aguascalientes, Mexico.; Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66495-y

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MeSH Terms: Domestication, Psidium, Genetic Variation, Microsatellite Repeats, South America, Gene Flow, Genetics, Population, Brazil